Denton glanced at the time imprint in the corner of his retina. "What are you talking about? We've got five minutes to spare, at least."

Gabi shook her head. "I'm sorry, pal, you've got the time wrong."

"What are you talking about? Look, they're still talking about it," Denton said and pointed to a broadcast monitor on the wall. The commentators gestured silently as they discussed the impending race. A big, red countdown timer at the bottom of the screen showed four minutes and forty-five seconds and counting.

Gabi smirked and shook her head. "You don't know, do you?"

Denton looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Know what?"

"It's delayed. The whole race broadcast is delayed by five minutes."

"That can't be right."

"It is."

Denton slammed his palm against a pillar and muttered under his breath while he rubbed his forehead.

"There's got to be another way," he said. "Tanner?"

"Why are you asking me? I thought you were the expert on this thing."

"Ok, hold on just a second," Gabi said. "Another way for what? Why are you here anyway?"

"As I said, The Vanquisher has been compromised," Denton blurted out. "Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"What do you mean? Compromised? It's been checked and double-checked. It's fine."

"A malicious software patch was transmitted to it through a breach in your central server. It wouldn't require your review or approval. Here, look at this." He turned on the holo-display on the communicator in his hand. She picked it up and looked closer. Moments later, the color of her face turned a pale white.

"It's been programmed to divert to a different landing zone. At full speed," she said and looked up at Denton.

"We need to patch the patch."

"Once the doors are shut, it can only be done with a handheld device from just outside the pod. All external connections are disconnected."

"Bring the device and take me to the pod. Tanner is sending over the patch that will correct the coordinates. It'll forward to your hub profile immediately."

Gabi turned and started pushing her way through the crowd of celebrities and executives that had gathered in the foyer area of the depot to watch the launch. They left the noise of a hundred conversations behind as they slipped into the quiet office area. Empty corridors that Denton had no doubt would be bursting with activity on any other day. Today, it was all hands on deck. Even for the number crunchers. She disappeared through an office door with her name on it only to emerge moments later with a small, plastic case in her hand.

"That's it?" Denton said.

"Follow me. We have to hurry." Gabi turned and led the way through the empty hallways. Her rapid footsteps were dampened by her rubber-soled boots and the soft carpet. They emerged through an unmarked door in an alley next to to the main concourse of the hub. He recognized it as the area he had come through only minutes before.

Denton was about to ask where they were headed but Gabi was already moving deeper into the crowd. He struggled to keep up through the thick crowds and barely saw her disappear into another alley. He picked up the pace and caught up with her a few moments later.

"You don't get around much, do you?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Tanner chimed in over the communicator, "That you are hopelessly out of..." Denton muted Tanner.

"Forgive me for asking but how is this getting us any closer to the pods? Aren't they at the bottom of the hub? Shouldn't we be finding an elevator or something?"

Gabi kept walking and ignored his question. Moments later, they stopped in front of what Denton easily could see was an elevator door. Gabi looked at him with a straight face as she pressed the button for the elevator and scanned a biochip in her hand to authorize its use.

After a short elevator ride, they arrived at the launch platforms. Located at the bottom of the hub it was closest to the planet. It consisted of a series of individual spaces, one for each team. Each space was enclosed in transparent walls for enhanced visibility during the pre-launch broadcast activities. The centerpiece was the vertical launch shaft in which the pod for the team had been loaded. The racer would enter through a hatch in the shaft, straight into the pod.

The far wall of each space was covered with computer equipment, screens and other technical equipment required for each team to conduct a successful launch. Most of it was for show, Denton knew. The technicians working in these spaces were mostly there for the visuals required by the broadcasters. The image that they wanted to convey was one of a team that worked feverishly to check that all settings and switches were correctly set before the launch. Few knew that the actual control center was tucked way in the team depot area that Denton and Gabi had left behind just minutes earlier. It was all about creating a sense of excitement and amplifying the danger of the event. Not that the latter was necessary. It was dangerous without beautiful pictures and dramatic commentary. There was no need to add more hype to it. Of course, the broadcast bigwigs disagreed.

Gabi led them straight to the space of The Vanquisher. They entered through transparent, secure sliding doors. Inside, Gabi froze almost immediately.

Denton had to stop himself from bumping into Gabi. "What's wrong?"

"We're too late. The pods have already been lowered into their launch positions," Gabi said, frustration visible on her face. She pointed to the large vertical shaft in the middle of the room. "Something isn't right. They usually do it just before the launch, never so soon after the hatch is closed. It doesn't make any sense."

"So your patching device is useless?"

Gabi nodded. "Yes, it's out of range. We can't get close enough to connect to the internal system of the pod from here."

"Who could have made that happen? Lowering the pods ahead of schedule?"

"Not sure. It could have been anyone, I suppose. I can have our operations guys check."

"No need." Denton unmuted Tanner. "Can you find out who ordered the pods to be lowered prematurely? I don't want Gabi in the middle of this."

"Oh right, now you need me?" Tanner said.

"What made you think otherwise?"

"Could have fooled me. Had me talking all the way down the elevator but apparently, no-one was listening. Mute is awfully rude, you know, especially if you don't let the other party of the conversation know."

Denton sighed and rolled his eyes. He felt like hanging up. He didn't have time to deal with Tanner's ego that always had to be stroked exactly the right way to get results. He also couldn't do what he needed without him.

"Sorry, I must have muted you accidentally."

"Sure you did."

"Seriously. Please, Tanner, can we talk about this later? Just get the info, alright?" He looked at Gabi, but he realized that she wasn't going to be much help. He could tell she was distraught. She knew what was about to happen and there was nothing she could do about it.

"What about the backup pod?" he said.

She looked at him, confused. "The backup pod? What about it? It's only here in case the primary pod malfunction."

"Right, but it's ready to go, right?"

"Of course. It has to be."

"Then let's use it to launch me. I'll try to get close enough to reprogram The Vanquisher during the race."

Gabi's eyes grew large, and her mouth dropped open. "You want to reprogram The Vanquisher while you're in transit in a backup pod? Are you out of your mind?"

"Why not? I just need to get close enough, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It's never been done. By anyone. I can't allow that." Gabi paced the room, gesturing. "It's suicide. You'll die for sure. I couldn't live with myself if I actually let you do it." She stopped at the control terminal and put her hands on the surface and bowed her head and shook it slowly.

Denton walked over to Gabi and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's the only option though, right?" he said softly.

Gabi looked at him, a tear sliding down her cheek, and nodded. "Do you even know how to descend?" she said, her eyes locked on Denton.

Denton shrugged. "Kind of. It's been a dream of mine for years. I've done countless hours in a VR simulator. I know, I know, it's not the real deal, but it's as close as I've been able to get. Better than nothing, right?"

"You're one crazy dude, officer, but I admit, it might just work."

The possibility of a positive outcome seemed to give Gabi renewed resolve. She sprinted out of the depot of The Vanquisher with Denton close behind. They ran past the other pod depots and stopped by a large set of secured double-doors. Gabi scanned her biochip and rushed through the doors before they had opened fully, into the area where the backup pods had been set up. She headed straight towards the backup pod for The Vanquisher and started tapping on the terminal next to the launch shaft.

Denton looked at the launch shaft and the open hatch as he waited as Gabi finished preparing the pod. Everything moved so quickly. He knew that using the backup pod had been a rash decision that he might regret. It was a huge gamble. It was true, he had VR experience piloting a pod, but he was also acutely aware that a VR simulation was nothing like the real thing. He wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead off with his sleeve and took a deep breath. He could feel the heavy pounding of his heart in his chest. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was suicide. He felt his chest tighten as his mind tore his plan to shreds.

Gabi interrupted his thoughts as she walked over to the pod, a small device in her hand. She reached inside and emerged almost immediately without it. She waved for him to approach. "Go on, get in. I'll come strap you in."

Denton took another deep breath and walked up the stairs and entered the pod through the hatch. A six-point seat awaited him through the hatch. He sat down, and Gabi buckled him in and then turned the seat to face the video screens. The seat, situated inside of a circular cage, could rotate as needed. Denton knew that the idea was for the pilot to be upright during the descent for maximum comfort. As the pod approached the surface and the landing zone the cage would rotate within the pod to ensure that the pilot was always upright. When the pod touched down on the surface, the racer would able to step right out for the cameras without engaging in extreme acrobatics.

Gabi looked at Denton, her hand on the hatch. "Are you sure about this?"

Denton wasn't, but it was too late to change his mind. He was committed. "Let's do it," he said and flashed Gabi a fake grin.

Gabi showed him how to retrieve the control panel that was folded up against the inside hull. "As soon as the hatch is closed, you'll be lowered into the launch position. The pods are set to launch in less than five minutes."

"Phew, ok, let's do this."

Gabi looked at Denton for a moment. "You're out of your mind, but I sure hope this works."

"Me too, me too."

"Good luck. Oh, and by the way, the patch device is in this small compartment. It's been loaded with Tanner's patch." She pointed at a secured compartment in front of him.

"Got it."

"It's easy to use. Just turn it on and wait for the green light. Then hit the upload button.

Denton gave her the thumbs up and braced himself as the hatch slammed shut. Moments later, the pod slowly descended into its starting position. Denton felt a shiver run down his spine. There was no going back now.

~~~

And there we have it, chapter 3. Was it worth it? This portion of the original story was less than 400 words; I'd say, now almost 2,000.